An entities that procures goods and services from different vendors often receives invoices and descriptive documentation from the vendors. The invoices identify the goods and services, provide information about the vendors, the entity, the goods and services, and amounts that are due in connection with the goods and services. The descriptive information may include descriptions of the goods and services. The entity may procure goods and services from more than one vendor in a market sector. The vendors in the market sector may provide to the entity goods and services that are similar. In the invoices and the descriptive documentation, the vendors may identify the similar goods and services, and describe them, using disparate formats, nomenclature or otherwise disparate presentation. The invoices may present goods and services using information that is not described in the descriptive documentation or is inadequately described in the descriptive documentation. The entity may seek to categorize the goods and services to support cost management measures. Because of the disparate or deficient presentation of the similar goods and services, it may be difficult for the entity to process the invoices in a manner that supports cost management.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide apparatus, methods and media for processing invoice data.